Our final day hiking began with a train from Solothurn to Deitingen where we walked through a lush forest to the lake of Inkwil.

The pilings in this lake area are a Unesco world heritage site, originally houses on stilts now primarily underwater due to changes in environment over the thousands of years since the houses were built.

After another hour of walking we came to a clearing in the forest where twoFriendship Force of Solothurnvolunteers Susan and Martin surprised us with a forest luncheon.

We learned how to properly score a sausage prior to placing over the fire.

Jürg demonstrated the proper technique to score a sausage to achieve the desired appearance.

Bidding goodbye to Susan and Martin, we continued out of the forest and were again on open trail where we came upon the Lake of Aeschi, a lovely tourist stop suitable for swimming and having a beverage on the lawn that banks to the lake.

A beautiful afternoon of sun and water followed by a farewell dinner with many thank you and good-byes, and of course music of the region.

Tomorrow, we leave this wonderful hive of hikers to cast ourselves to various destinations. Some will continue to travel in Europe, others like myself will be returning to our homes.

I will miss the door-to-door public transport that Switzerland offers. Among the first departures in the morning, I catch the earliest bus at our stop. The bus drops me at the Solothurn train station where I then board the train for arrival at the station in the Zurich Airport, finishing my morning commute with a walk through security and on to my airline’s gate.

On the fourth and perhaps my favorite day of our walk, we board the train from Solothurn to Oberdorf. There we hop on the gondola and ride to the middle station at Nesselboden for this beautiful mountain in the Juras chain, Weissenstein.

We did well, needing only one rest break on our way to the top.

The cattle grazing along the mountainside are responsible for the wonderful cheese and other dairy products we are enjoying during our stay.

Although rain was predicted, we don’t see any until we reach the summit where a fresh mist was coming down.

We watch a hand glider preparing to take flight

From the top of Weissenstein, Lucie leads us on a path that dips down several hundred feet to theSennhausrestaurant. There we enjoyed a well-earned lunch of sausages and potatoes.

With our wonderful guide Lucie, dark clouds overhead at the top of Weissenstein.

Our trip down was shorter and steeper, and soon we were back to the gondola for a quick trip to the base of the mountain.

On our return to Solothurn, we joined in at the Cheese Market. We made our way through animals, hay bales, vegetables and an array of Swiss cheeses and chocolates to sample and buy.

After a long day, we hike back to the hotel to prepare for our final day of walking and hiking.

Mary Lou Harris

Mary Lou writes about the adventures and misadventures of a senior runner, ultra trail runner and hiker. She is an RRCA-accredited race director. Mary Lou Harris is a proponent of active living, community volunteerism and inquisitive travel.